Welcome to the WildHood

One of my favourite weekend activities is plant shopping, and the ultimate weekend outing is discovering a new plant shop. So imagine my delight when I discover a brand new shop right in my neighbourhood!

Wildhood can be found in the west end Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. They carry flowers, plants and succulents, all from local Ontario growers and greenhouses. They also sell unique planters and offer FREE delivery inside the hood (and $10 delivery outside the Junction).

Tucked inside/behind the Coal Miner’s Daughter, we found Lauren, the owner, who was friendly, personable and very knowledgeable. The space is beautifully designed, complete with vintage sofas, an antique cart and hand drawn chalk murals. The kind of place where you might want to hang out for a little while. And hang out, we did!

Following our visit, Lauren was kind enough to answer a few of the questions swarming around in my head about plant shop ownership. Because in my opinion, she is living the dream… or at least living my dream!

MISSYLLANEOUS: What is the best part of being a plant shop owner?

LAUREN:I live in a secret garden! I’m here pretty much all of the time and it’s always nice to be surrounded by green in my own little jungle. I also love talking to people who are certified plant killers and helping them actually figure out what the issue is in their space or behaviour that’s causing their plant’s untimely demise.

M: How did you get started in the business of selling plants?

L:I started selling the plants as a nice add-on to the flowers for people who are of the “but flowers die” variety, but the Junction is very much a plant and succulent neighbourhood! As the demand from neighbours and customers grew, I’ve just been filling up with more and more plants each week and I ain’t mad about it.

M: For someone just starting out, what kind of plant would you recommend?

L: I always recommend low light, low maintenance plants because that seems to be the issue with a lot of people’s homes. They don’t have enough direct light or very little light at all, but there’s always a workaround to that. I usually recommend a philodendron or a fern to a first timer – all are very difficult to kill and are happy pretty much anywhere. I also love to recommend cacti for people that get a lot of light because the neglect they crave is just so convenient for someone who doesn’t want to bother watering their plant two or three times a week.

M: What is your favourite plant (and do you, or will you, sell them)?

L: My favourite plants right now are the trendy ones – monstera, palms, birds of paradise and snake plants. I restock weekly so I usually have them in store or on their way and I’m always willing to take a request from anyone who sends an email or stops by. Right now I have 10″ monsteras that I’m excited to see grow, some 4″ parlour palms, and 6″ snakes – regular and variegated in store.

Welcome to the neighbourhood, Wildhood! We are excited to have you. Can’t wait to buy more plants!!